Timer switch plate for toggle switches



April 1952 T. l. CLAYTON 2,590,840

TIMER SWITCH PLATE FOR TOGGL'E SWITCHES Filed May 18, 1951.

U M J 7 a THOMAS L. CLAYro/v,

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 1, 1952 TIMER SWITCH PLATE I OR TOGGLE SWITCHES Thomas L. Clayton, Wheeling, W. Va.

Application May 18, 1951, Serial No. 227,049 7 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in switches, and more particularly to an attachment for a wall switch adapted to provide delayed action for the switch. 7

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved delay device for use with a conventional wall switch of the toggle type, said delay device being simple in construction, being easy to install, and involving only a few parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved attachment for use with a conventional electrical wall switch of the toggle type, said attachment being adapted to provide a delayed action for the toggle switch, the attachment being inexpensive to manufacture, being stu r d y in construction, being compact in size, being neat in appearance, and being applicable for use with existing wall switches.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a wall switch provided with an improved time-delay device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to Figure 2, but showing the toggle switch in position immediately prior to initiation of a delay period thereof;

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line BB of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, I I designates a conventional wall switch of the toggle type, said switch including the switch plate l2, the switch body I3 and the rotatable toggle lever i4. When the lever I4 is in its lowered position, as shown in Figure 2, the switch i3 is open, and when said toggle lever I4 is in its raised position, shown in Figure 5, the switch I 3 is closed.

Designated at I5 is a rectangular housing which is secured to the switch plate I 2 in overlying relationship to the toggle lever M by means of respective bolts l6, l6, which are arranged to extend through the usual bolt openings of switch plate 12 and to threadedly engage the usual securing lugs associated with the switch body 13. Designated at I! is a cylinder which is secured in the lower portion of the housing 15, and which iii is open at its top end. Designated at I8 is a laterally extending conduit which communicates with the lower end of the cylinder l1 and which extends through the front wall IQ of the housing [5. As shown in Figure 4, a fastening nut 20 is threadedly engaged on the conduit IS, the nut 20 being tightened into engagement with wall 49, thereby rigidly securing cylinder [1 in the bore portion of housing [5. Threaded on the end of the conduit [8 is a cap 2| to which is rigidly secured the axially extending needle valve 22 having a tapered tip 23 which extends into a reduced lower portion 24 formed in the conduit l8 at the portion thereof which communicates with the cylinder IT. The cap 21 is formed with an air escape opening 25 through which air from cylinder I! may exhaust to the atmosphere after passing through the restriction defined between tip 23 and reduced bore portion 24. The rate of escape of air from the cylinder i! may be regulated by adjusting the position of cap 2| on the threaded conduit I8, whereby the tip 23 is adjusted with relation to the reduced bore 24.

Designated at 26 is a piston which is slidably mounted inside the cylinder [1 and which includes the inwardly facing elastic cup member 2! of rubber or similar material which sealingly and slidably engages the inside wall surface of cylinder I'I. The intermediate portion of'the piston rod, as shown at 28, is formed with a horizontally extending, integral arm 29 which is connected to the bottom wall of housing I!) by a coil spring 30, whereby the piston 26 is biased downwardly in the cylinder IT. The top end of the piston rod extends slidably through a horizontal projection 3| secured in the upper portion of housing 18 and serving as a guide means for the piston rod 28, guiding said piston rod for vertical movement along the axis of cylinder ll.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the arm 29 overlies the top surface portion of the toggle lever 14 and exerts downward force thereon, due to the action of the spring 30. In the absence of any other means limiting rotation of the toggle lever [4, the spring 30 is of sufiicient strength to move the toggle lever l4 into the lowered position thereof shown in Figure 2, namely, the position wherein the switch I3 is open.

Pivoted to the front wall IQ of housing I5 is an operating lever 32, said lever comprising an.

outer sleeve 33 formed with the opposed pivot lugs 34, 34 which are rotatably received in the side walls of a vertical slot 35 formed in the front wall [9 of housing l5. As shown in Figure 6, the lugs 34, 34 are formed at the intermediate portion of the sleeve 33, whereby a substantial portion of the operating lever 32 projects inside the housing E5. The sleeve 33 is internally threaded, and threadedly engaged within the sleeve is the adjustable abutment screw 35 whose forward end may be adjusted to engage the lower surface of the toggle lever l4. As shown in Figure 6, the tip of the screw 36 is rounded, as indicated at 3'1, and the toggle lever is is preferably formed with a recess adjacent its end in which the rounded tip 3's of screw 36 may lockingly engage when the toggle lever i has been elevated to the position of Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, the operating lever 32 is substantially at right angles to the toggle lever when the lever is elevated, and is substantially in a dead center position relative to the toggle lever, whereby said toggle lever will be locked against downward rotation. When the switch is off, the operating lever 32 assumes the dotted line position of Figure 5 relative to toggle lever It also shown in dotted view, and when the switch is to be closed, the outer end of the oper ating lever 32 is depressed manually, whereby the inner end of the operating lever engages beneath the toggle leverl5 and elevates said toggle lever to the full line position of Figure 5, in which position the tip 31 of screw 35 engages in the recess, indicated at 38, which is provided in the bottom surface of the toggle lever 15. When it is desired to open the switch 13, the outer end of the operating lever 32 is manually elevated, releasing the toggle lever I5, and allowing the spring 38 to move said toggle lever downwardly to the position of Figure 2. However, when the toggle lever i5 is rotated to the position of Figure 5, said toggle lever exerts an upward force on the arm 29 which moves the piston 26 upwardly in the cylinder ll, said piston being readily movable upwardly because of the yieldability of the elastic cup element 2?. When the cup member 2'6 is moved upwardly air flows into the cylinder i'l past the yieldaole periphery of the cup member and is trapped in the lower portion of the cylinder. When the toggle lever I5 is released by rotating the operatinglever 32 counterclockwise from the full line position thereof shown in Figure 5, the downward rotation of toggle lever 15 is delayed for a period of time required for the air trapped in cylinder I? to escape from the cylinder through the discharge opening of the needle valve cap 2!. After the required time for the trapped air to escape from cylinder ll, the spring 38 forces the toggle lever 15 downwardly to the full line position thereof shown in Figure 2, causing the switch Hi to open.

It will he therefore apparent that a time delay is provided in the opening of the switch i3, said time delay being adjustable by adjusting the position of the needle valve 22 relative to the restricted bore portion 24.

While a specific embodiment of an improved time delay device for wall switches has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A timing attachment for a wall switch of the toggle type comprising a housing adapted to be secured to a switch plate over the toggle lever of the switch, a cylinder in said housing, said cylinder having a restricted air escape aperture in its end portion, a piston slidably positioned in said cylinder, an arm secured to said piston and being arranged to engage said toggle lever, spring means biasing said piston inwardly, said arm being arranged to rotate said toggle lever in one direction responsive to inward movement of said piston in said cylinder, and an operating lever pivoted to the front wall of said housing, being drivingly engageable with said toggle lever to rotate the toggle lever in the opposite direction, and being arranged to lockingly engage said toggle lever when said toggle lever has been rotated through its operating angle.

2. A timing attachment for wall switch of the toggle type comprising a housing adapted to be secured to a switch plate over the toggle lever of the switch, a cylinder in said housing, said cylinder having a restricted air escape aperture in its end portion, a needle valve adiustably mounted in aperture, a piston slidably positioned in said cylinder, an inwardly facing elastic cup member secured'to said piston and engaging the inside wall surface oi said cylinder, an arm secured to said piston and being arranged to engage said toggle lever, spring means biasing said piston inwardly, said arm being arranged to rotate said toggle lever in one direction responsive to inward movement of said piston in said cylinder, and an operating lever pivoted to the front wall of said housing, being drivingly engageable with said toggle lever to rotate said toggle lever in the opposite direction, and being arranged to lockingly engage said toggle lever when said toggle lever has been rotated through its operating angle,

THOMAS L. CLAYTON.

Name Date Haderman July 16, .1929

Number 

